Presentations

John Morris, a Wireless RERC research scientist attended the Assistive Technology Industry Association’s 2013 Conference where he participated in the panel “Mobile Apps for People with Disabilities” at the Research Symposium on IDevices, Apps & the Cloud. The conference provided a forum for professional practitioners serving those with disabilities to communicate and participate in educational sessions. There were over 2,000 attendees for the more than 200 educational sessions at the conference, held in Orlando, Florida from January 30 to February 2, 2013.

On February 15, 2013 James Mueller, a Wireless RERC scientist, presented “Getting Wireless: An Introduction to Universal Design and Wireless Technology” to 32 sophomore industrial design students at Virginia Tech.  This is part of the Wireless RERC’s initiative to educate the next generation of wireless technology designers on universal design as a core practice for innovative and future design of products and applications.

The specific objectives of the project are to:

"IDEAL Group Reader" is a fully-accessible eBook reader app that can read text aloud, just like an audio book.  It was developed by Apps4Android with support from Wireless RERC's App Factory.  The Beta version of this ePub3 reader has been tested by thousands of users in 116 countries.

Apps4Android's CEO Steve Jacobs showcased the IDEAL Group Reader (IGR) at the Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) International CES 2013 in Las Vegas on January 8-12. 

John Morris, Wireless RERC research scientist, and Tracey Wallace, a speech language pathologist at Shepherd Center, presented at the 2012 American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention. The presentation highlighted a variety of practice guidelines and techniques that use various mobile applications and can help with memory management in individuals recovering from a brain injury.

Four Wireless RERC papers will be featured at the 2013 International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN) in San Diego, February 25-March 2, 2013.  The papers include: App Factory: Assistive and Accessibility App, which will be a demo session; Wireless Technology Use and Disability based on the Survey of User Needs; Social Media, Public Emergencies & Disability, which is related to the Survey on Emergency Communications; and Survey Says!